The Labor Department says IBM, which has a policy of not releasing layoff totals, says the release of the information will cause it competitive harm, as well as harm to the individuals whose names were given to the Labor Department.

The Labor Department said Tuesday that it agrees that any identifying information is exempt from disclosure but says it is not convinced that the number of affected employees must be withheld.

The Labor Department say it has given IBM until noon on Thursday to provide any legation justification or other information to support why the information should be confidential.